* In 2010, the U.S. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed concerning “conflict minerals” originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or adjoining countries. The SEC published final rules associated with the disclosure of the source of conflict minerals by U.S. publicly traded companies (see the rules at http://www.sec.gov/rules/final/2012/34-67716.pdf). The rules reference the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, (http://www.oecd.org/daf/inv/mne/GuidanceEdition2.pdf), which guides suppliers to establish policies, due diligence frameworks and management systems.
** See information on the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (www.conflictfreesourcing.org)."